EDITORIAL - Crackdown on smugglers

For the past two and a half years, rumors have persisted of Joseph Estrada’s friends and relatives – mga kaibigan at kamag-anak – controlling large-scale smuggling in the country. Chicken, sugar, luxury vehicles – you name it and the name of a relative or crony was likely to crop up. A special task force was created to go after smugglers, but after several high-profile apprehensions of smuggled goods, the task force was disbanded, leaving the inevitable impression that it had done its job too well. As the stink became stronger, a Customs commissioner was sacked. But his replacement, who apparently was meant as a deodorizer, refused to be part of the show and quit after just a few weeks.

Malacañang even released two lists with the names of around 30 people, tagging them as big-time smugglers. None of those on the lists sued Malacañang for the onerous tag, but none of them was ever charged for smuggling either. The chief of the Philippine National Police apprehended one of the alleged smugglers, Lucio Lao Co, only to release him for lack of evidence. Until the final days of the Estrada administration, PNP and Customs officials were saying that they didn’t have the goods on any of those on the lists. Now the new administration has started investigating one of Estrada’s mistresses and at least three of his friends for large-scale smuggling. With no one to provide them protection, the truth may finally be known.

Even without Estrada, however, the Bureau of Customs has consistently been listed among the most graft-riddled government agencies. There are officials who cover up for the smuggling activities of those in power, and others who are involved in smuggling themselves. Catching the latter type may be harder, requiring the cooperation of honest Customs personnel. Are there any such people left in that bureau?

And have we seen the last of the dirt-cheap chicken parts? There is no guarantee that the people identified in the two lists will stop their activities with the ouster of Estrada. A new administration may also have its own share of unscrupulous relatives and friends who will want special favors from Customs. The new team of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo can’t afford to let this happen. There’s a massive budget deficit to tackle and high public expectations to meet.